


CATWS: A Warning Sign (Bucky/Reader)

by Kirimizi



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel
Genre: Anxiety, Avengers Compound, Bad Memory Lane, Comfort, F/M, Lil smooch, M/M, TW: PTSD Mentions, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, cause where tf else right, gender neutral reader, my first marvel fic too, tea time, tw: anxiety attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:35:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27635543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirimizi/pseuds/Kirimizi
Summary: Nothing is ever what it seems.
Relationships: Bucky Barnes/Reader, winter soldier/reader
Kudos: 11





	CATWS: A Warning Sign (Bucky/Reader)

Let’s try this again, one last time.

The peak of the afternoon had come and passed. For Bucky Barnes, the hour in the day could matter less to him. All he wanted to do was sleep whenever he could, considering the circumstances at hand. His brain was practically fried every time he woke up, barely able to keep a stable thought longer than an hour at a time. 

Not to mention, he felt like a prisoner in the Avengers compound. Though most prisoners don’t get full access to a giant assortment of Keurig coffees and teas to their disposal. Unfortunately for him, ptsd symptoms couldn’t be cured with fancy loose leaf teas. 

To his disdain, a friend came by daily to check on him, make him tea, and awkwardly tried starting conversations with him. While it never worked out very much, it was still appreciated to have someone to kind of exist next to him that wasn’t one of the super nuts living in the building. 

However, today was different. (Y/N) shuffled into the small loft, but when he looked up from the couch, the eyes usually so full of life and meaning were different this time. The blank stare caught his attention, but the lines beneath their eyes were hard to ignore. They looked like absolute death in human form. 

Bucky wasn’t one to speak up about other people’s problems, let alone get involved in something like this. But he felt like he owed (Y/N) something for the last two months of them attempting to get him into a better place. He straightened himself out and lowered the tv, trying to bring himself to say something.

“You good?” Bucky muttered, avoiding eye contact. For the first time today, his brain was quiet, trying to focus on his words to be sure he didn’t stumble while he spoke. They stood near the door, hand still hovering above the handle before pulling the knob in completely. 

“How are you today? Any better?” (Y/N) asked. Their tired eyes slowly blinked before making their way to the couch. They sat on the side of the couch, inspecting his arm from the edge of the couch. A light huff left their lips, and the remaining light in their eyes faded into absolute exhaustion. 

Something wasn’t right with them. 

Bucky closed the gap between them on the couch. Even he was unsure what to do with the situation, but he couldn’t just sit there per usual, unresponsive and ignorant to their words. 

“I should be asking you. Why are you so tired?” Bucky thought to himself about the possibilities. One of which made him wonder if it was him they were so tired over. He furrowed his brows at the thought until they took a deep breath and took him out of his own head. 

“I’m fine. How is everything here?” (Y/N) asked, a yawn following their question. Bucky looked up at them, wondering why they were lying.  
“You don’t sound like it. Did something happen?”   
“No. And I’m here to check in on you, not me.” They retorted.

Bucky raised a hand to their arm, feeling them tense up at the feeling.  
“I thought we were supposed to tell each other the truth.”  
“It’s not your problem,” They got up and started up the cute coffee maker across the room, making tea as though everything were normal. “Everything is fine.” 

“I know when someone’s lying, you’re no exception to the rule.”   
“Why do you even care this much?” (Y/N) faced the keurig and placed both fists onto the counter, clearly fed up with the questions. “I don’t think you’ve spoken this much to me in an entire month, what’s so different now?” 

“I’m worried about you.” The words came out without a second thought behind them. Bucky got up from the couch and marched over to the counter, arms crossed and petty. When they turned around with the tea, he blocked them from moving another step. If they tried to move left, so did he. If they leaned to the right, so did he. 

(Y/N) hands shook and the spoon in the mug rattled in their hands. Their eyes widened and soon, whatever semblance of control they had was lost. A few tears rolled down and their breath was heavy. Bucky took the cup from their hands, placing it onto the counter before taking their hand and bringing them back to the couch. He sat them down and the quiet room was no longer a place of peace.

Bucky sat down next to them, unsure what to do now. Usually the one handling the breakdowns was the person having one! Their shaky breath combined with their watery eyes told him they were holding themselves back. He moved in and wrapped his arm around them. 

(Y/N) couldn’t stop themselves any longer from the full on sobs coming out. In the end, it didn’t matter, because for the time being, it felt safe. The thoughts that plagued them were just like rain. Sometimes light, sometimes heavy, and sometimes an uncontrollable downpour they couldn’t contain. 

“It started again when my friend mentioned the incident,” In that instance, Bucky places his chin atop (Y/N) head, rubbing their back while they let it all out. Not a single part of him prepared for this to happen. Especially the thought of someone who hurt them so deeply. A secret that Bucky could never have imagined. 

“It’s old news, I shouldn’t be like this anymore.” (Y/N) picked up their head and tried to wipe the streams of tears off their cheeks with the sleeves of their sweater. Bucky instead brushed it off with his thumb, bringing their line of vision back to him.

“That’s not how this works.” The words unintentionally left his mouth. He wouldn’t allow this nonsense to continue. “You’re impressive, you’re sweet,” he went on, pulling their face closer to him. 

“Anyone who would ever want to hurt you again will have to go through me.” Bucky’s soft voice turned into a defensive demeanor. The ordeal had left them both flustered, but he wouldn’t let go even as their tears slowed down. The few inches of space between seemed to close in on them. The anticipation was palpable before their lips met. The subtle mend of his kiss felt like he had been waiting a while to put it into practice. The sweet gesture left them in awe of the feeling, placing a hand on the arm that showed them such kindness in their time of need. 

When (Y/N) pulled away from one another, the uncertainty left them completely. Everything was alright. And time felt like it stopped for this moment. 

“You’re impressive, too.” (Y/N) sniffled. The shy look on his face intensified at the comment. He didn’t know what to say and sat on the couch, the flush on his cheeks worsening with every minute. 

“Let me make you some tea.” Bucky rose from the couch, blissfully ignoring the statement and took his time picking out tea.


End file.
